All things freshwater: news, analysis, humor, reviews, and commentary from Michael E. 'Aquadoc' Campana, hydrogeologist, hydrophilanthropist, Professor of Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management in the Geography Program of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) at Oregon State University, Emeritus Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of New Mexico, Past President of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) and Past Chair of the Scientists & Engineers Division of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). He is President of the nonprofit NGWA Foundation and the nonprofit Ann Campana Judge Foundation, an organization involved with WaSH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) in Central America. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Global Water Partnership (GWP). CYA statement: with the exception of guest posts, the opinions expressed herein are solely those of Michael E. Campana and not those of CEOAS, Oregon State University, ACJF, AWRA, NGWA, GWP, my spouse Mary Frances, or any other person or organization.

Texas Agriculture Law BlogDon't let the name fool you - there are lots of water issues in agriculture and Tiffany Dowell of Texas A&M University does a fabulous job with this important Internet resource. Give it a read - I do every day!

The Way of WaterOregon State University Geography PhD Student, Jennifer Veilleux, records her fieldwork, research, and thoughts about transboundary water resources development in the Nile River and Mekong River basins. Particular attention is given to Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Laos' Xayaburi Dam projects.

Thirsty in SuburbiaGayle Leonard documents things from the world of water that make us smile: particularly funny, amusing and weird items on bottled water, water towers, water marketing, recycling, the art-water nexus and working.

This Day in Water HistoryMichael J. 'Mike' McGuire, engineer extraordinaire, NAE member, and author of 'The Chlorine Revolution', blogs about historical happenings in the fields of drinking water and wastewater keyed to calendar dates.

Watershed Moments: Thoughts from the HydrosphereFrom Sarah Boon - rediscovering her writing and editing roots after 13 years, primarily as an environmental scientist. Her writing centres around creative non-fiction, specifically memoir and nature writing. The landscapes of western Canada are her main inspiration.

The white paper summarizes basic economic information current to irrigated agriculture and quantifies the impact of irrigated agriculture on annual household income in the western United States. The study found that the total production (farm gate) value for the 17 states comprising this western U.S. region was about $171 billion in 2011, with an estimated $117 billion tied to irrigated agriculture.

“It is clear that irrigated agriculture is a key economic driver for the western United States,” said John Farner, IA’s government affairs director. “Without water for agricultural irrigation, our nation would not only suffer significant food shortages, we would also see significant damage to our economy and job losses throughout the western United States.”

According to the study, the annual direct household income derived from the irrigated agriculture industry is estimated at $64 billion in the western United States region. After further analysis of the total direct, indirect, and deduced impacts, researchers determined the total household income impact to be an estimated $156 billion annually.

The paper was developed by the Pacific Northwest Project, working with FFA and IA, to address specific policy questions raised by senior staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water about water resources economics.

Here are the summary points from the report (click to enlarge):

A few more:

Enjoy!

"Little ol' boy in the Panhandle told me the other day you can still make a small fortune in agriculture. Problem is, you got to start with a large one." - Jim Hightower

Comments

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No doubt irrigated farm ground in the WEST USA is important and is currently relied upon to supply appreciable amount of food-stuff to not only America but much of the world … question … using corporate “mono” culture practices and copious amounts of commercial pesticides and fertilizers is it sustainable … that does not appear to be a question we choose to thoroughly contemplate…?

Circle of BlueCircle of Blue uses journalism, scientific research, and conversations from around the world to bring the story of the global freshwater crisis to life. Here you’ll find new water reports, news headlines, and hear from leading scientists.

Drink Water For LifeThe idea is simple. Drink water or other cheap beverages instead of expensive lattes, sodas, and bottled water for a set period of time. A day, a week, a month, Lent, Ramadan, Passover, or some other holiday period.

eFlowNet NewsletterFrom the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this newsletter has lots of information about environmental flows and related issues.

Sustainable Water Resources RoundtableSince 2002, the Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable (SWRR) has brought together federal, state, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors to advance our understanding of the nation’s water resources and to develop tools for their sustainable management.